We can use MEAT (movement, exercise, analgesia and treatment) to work with our natural healing process to heal an injured area.
In this article, I’m going to be discussing ligament and tendon injuries. This covers ankle sprains, injured knees, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, shoulder issues, etc.
Ligament and tendon injuries such as ankle sprains, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow and knee injuries are more difficult to heal than muscle tears. The conventional way to treat these injuries slows the healing process, which can lead to chronic pain, instability and reinjury.
The “conventional wisdom” of treating acute injuries, RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), is a recipe to deprive the injured area of blood flow and stop the inflammatory process. This process is a crucial step in healing. Add in anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen, and injured tissue is doomed to heal incompletely.
To heal an injury, our bodies must go through three phases of healing. The first phase of healing is the inflammatory phase. This phase brings pain, swelling, redness and heat to the injured area. These signs of inflammation indicate healing and they are also good reminders to not overuse the injured area.
The second and third phases are the proliferative and remodeling phases. These are the phases where new collagen is being laid down in an injured area and organizing that tissue to be strong and flexible.
So, what course of action can be taken if one is trying to avoid RICE and NSAIDS? We can use MEAT (movement, exercise, analgesia and treatment) to work with our natural healing process to heal an injured area. Let’s break MEAT down.
Movement. Gentle range of motion movements keep blood and lymph flowing into and out of the injured area, bringing in nutrients and washing out waste products of inflammation. Movement also helps direct collagen fibers in their organization and often results in decreased pain and swelling.
Exercise. Once the initial pain has subsided, therapeutic exercise can be added into the mix. These are generally exercises that a physical therapist will recommend. Exercise allows the muscles around the tissue to get stronger, brings in blood flow and helps the collagen fibers get organized.
Analgesia is pain relief. There are many tools that I use to provide pain relief for patients. I had to pare down my list to get it to fit in the scope of this article, but there are tools to help pain outside of what I write about today. Here are a few tools I use to provide pain relief for my patients:
Arnica. Homeopathic arnica is excellent for addressing the pain of an acute injury and it is especially indicated for trauma and bruising. It can be used topically or internally. The homeopathic form must be used internally because this herb is toxic in tincture form.
Curcumin. Curcumin is immensely pain relieving and it’s one of my go-tos. Yes, I know it’s an anti-inflammatory, but I do not see that it negatively impacts tissue health in the same way that ibuprofen and naproxen do.
Corydalis. Corydalis is a Chinese herb that excels at pain relief. I love using corydalis in combination with other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine formulas.
Topical pain patches. Pain patches come in many forms. They can have lidocaine, menthol, Chinese herbs or CBD/THC. I have seen all of these forms to be effective. They are more effective on tissue that’s closer to the surface of the skin like ankles and wrists.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture is amazing and I will often use cupping alongside the acupuncture needles for an enhanced pain relieving effect.
Neural prolotherapy. This is a therapeutic modality that can both relieve pain and treat the injury. It’s an injection therapy that, depending on what the patient needs, will involve lidocaine, 5% dextrose, and homeopathics.
Treatment. There are too many treatment options to cover here, but I do have a few favorites that I’d like to share.
Prolotherapy/PRP. These regenerative injections need to wait until two to three weeks after the initial injury. With these treatments, we’re reinitiating the inflammatory process for a more thorough healing of the injured area. I do a lot of prolotherapy and PRP and can attest to their amazing healing power.
Manual therapies. Treatments such chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy can be immensely effective in treatment of an injury.
Contrast hydrotherapy. This treatment uses alternating hot and cold applications to the injured area to bring fresh blood into the area with heat and then flushing that blood out of the area with cold. It’s great for treatment and analgesia.
Nutrients. There are many nutrients that promote tissue healing. My favorites are Vitamin C, collagen powder and specific amino acids. Nutrients are highly individualized, so it’s best to consult your doctor about what dosing will be ok for you.
And finally, going into an injury with good general health will enable you to heal more quickly and thoroughly after an injury. People who smoke, who are overweight/obese, who have diabetes, or are otherwise unhealthy will have more trouble with the healing process. It’s important to maintain your general health with healthy diet/exercise/hydration/lifestyle and also have your annual labs run so that your baseline health is in order. FBN
By Amber Belt, ND
Amber Belt, N.D. is a naturopathic physician with sharp regenerative injection skills, a roller derby enthusiast, a business owner, an animal lover and a Flagstaff devotee. She has been performing regenerative injections for 12 years and can be contacted via aspenmedcenter.com or at 928-213-5828.
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